It Started As A List
by Klutzy Angel
Summary: Waiting for those three small words can take its toll. And you could always say it first... but should you? Pro:It'll be out in the open. Con:You said it first. Life is confusing, why not make a list to help you through it? Zelphie Seiftis R&R! Language!
1. Of Grease and Grape Soda

**It Started As A List...**

**Chapter 1 – Of Grease and Grape Soda**

For once, it didn't start as a list; it came spontaneously and outrageously. Don't be confused, she was no planner, Selphie Tilmitt was anything but. She was a go with the wind, happy-go-lucky free spirit, who did what she wanted, when she wanted. At least, most of the time she did. When it came down to serious situations, situations such as this, there was no room for error, every action had to be planned meticulously and properly to the very detail. But this time, this odd occurrence, did not start as a list.

Selphie looked down at the blank paper in front of her and examined the heading: Say 'I Love You First', then at the subheadings that read: pros, and cons. She hadn't technically written anything down underneath, so she hadn't technically written a list and planned out her actions.

"I... willn't tell him!" Obviously she was still at a loss.

Her and her boyfriend Irvine, had been dating for 5 months, the time when Selphie had decided to say those three small words that aren't really all that small. This was when she had planned to say it, well this is when she had planned it to be said; she hadn't exactly thought that he wouldn't have said it by now, she thought that she was loveable enough to get the 'I love you' by now. But he just was not getting loose lipped.

"I'm being too dramatic," the brunette said to herself aloud, "He'll say it I just need to give it time, I don't need to write a list...". Selphie examined the paper for all of fifteen seconds before putting pen to paper and filling in the columns of the page.

This time was no odd occurrence; this time started as a list.

Pro: It'll be out in the open.

Con: I said it first; he now has control in the relationship.

Pro: He'll say it right after I do.

Con: He'll say it right after I do, was I not good enough to have him say it first?

Pro: Our love can only grow once it's said.

Con: I said it first...

Selphie examined her neat handwriting and read the list over again in her mind before crumpling the paper and throwing it in the garbage. If there were equal or more cons, she never answered 'yes' to the question on the paper, and the list gods had spoken. She sighed and leaned back in her chair before she heard a knock on her door. The girl quickly got up and headed to answer it, hoping maybe she wouldn't need to make a list later that night, hoping that it was Irvine with twelve long stem roses and a cookie that read: I love you.

She opened the door to the sight of a bucket of deep fried chicken being waved in her face. The bucket moved and she saw the face of her roommate, Tinsley, dressed in black yoga pants and brown clogs, her long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail.

"Hey roomie, want some? I got a twelve piece!" she said entering the dorm room.

At least she was getting twelve of something...

"Uh sure... ew, twelve piece? So what six for you and six for me, that's gross, we're gonna have coronaries," replied Selphie as she closed the door and sat on her bed as Tinsley got napkins for the two girls.

"Don't be crazy Selph! We're gonna have a girls night! Except Rinoa's busy and so is Quistis, so I invited Zell instead, since he helped me pass a training exercise today," said the blonde as she placed the bucket between the two girls. "So technically the ratio will be more like 3-3-6."

Selphie nodded and took a piece of chicken, "So where is Zell then?" she asked her mouth full of chicken.

"He's on his way, he's bringing beverages." There was another knock at the door and Tinsley got up to answer it. She opened the door and there was Zell standing in the doorway with a case of pop. He walked in and looked around before placing the pack of drinks of the floor.

"Where are the girls? Aren't there usually girls involved in a 'girls night'?" he asked as he took a piece of chicken from the bucket.

"Everyone was busy so it's just us," replied Tinsley as she wiped at a grease stain on her white wife beater, "Man, I already got grease on myself. I'm so useless..." She went into the small bathroom attached to the girls' room to clean herself and Zell looked at Selphie intently still eating his chicken.

"So um, what are we gonna do for fun?" he asked as he tossed the chicken bone into the garbage nearby, missing atrociously.

"First of all, ew," she said looking at the bone on her floor, "Second, I don't know, I guess we'll you know like braid each others hair and tell each other our crushes, and we can go through the hot guys in our yearbooks and choose who belongs to who!" replied Selphie in a high pitched girly voice. Zell simply chuckled and went to pick up the bone he threw on the floor.

Tinsley emerged from the bathroom with a wet spot where the stain was, "So what are we gonna do tonight guys?"

One hour later the three were laughing at Selphie's stories of her clumsiness.

"So after I fell I looked around to see if anyone was behind me, and there, was a line of 3rd graders who were out for a walk with their teacher! I had just mooned a bunch of small children! And their teacher gave me such a death glare, like I was some kind of pervert-slut." Tinsley fell back on her bed laughing at her friend.

"You are so funny Selphie," said Zell as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Oh you are no better," she retorted picking up the empty chicken container and throwing it out.

"Yes, I am," he started, "I'm a fighter and that requires a sense of grace."

Tinsley smirked and pointed to his shirt from where she was on the bed, "Well, you gracefully made a mess all over yourself then." Zell looked down and saw that he had spilled grape soda on his shirt, along with grease stains in the shape of his fingers from where he had wiped his hands.

He groaned and took off his shirt on his way to the bathroom. The two girls watched him enter then looked at each other as the door closed. They both cleared their throats and Selphie leaned against the counter examining her nails, while Tinsley played with her hair, that she had taken out of the ponytail and was now cascading around her head.

"I wasn't looking at his body," said Tinsley from the bed.

"Me either," responded Selphie from the kitchen. There was a silence.

"He's hot though,"

"I know," Selphie said looking around. There were empty cans of grape soda on the nightstand on the floor and some in the recycling. She sighed and began to collect them all. "We're classy, with our grape soda and greasy chicken. We should wear monocles and go to fancy balls," she said sarcastically.

Tinsley laughed, "Yeah, today we're more of the trailer-park variety of people. But tonight was fun."

"T'was, t'was," responded Selphie in a fancy accent. "So Tinsy, what's new with you, there's always something going on in your life."

Tinsley scoffed, "No there isn't. I never do anything interesting, I'm always running some errand for Cid, that keeps me either, under enemy fire, or in some random town watching people deliver beef jerky."

It was true; Tinsley was always doing grunt work. She had officially become a SeeD a few months ago, and now she was always being called since there was a shortage of active SeeDs recently, for some reason, and the students still hadn't passed their exams.

Selphie and the others, weren't really called a lot since they had 'saved the world' a year ago, and that sort of gives you the right to some time off. They were still called, just not often, and some more than others. Zell went out a lot since he wasn't an instructor, and had no other prior engagements, whereas Selphie had Garden Committee, and Quistis was an instructor again.

"Aren't there any boys you meet in these 'random' towns?" asked Selphie as she got up on the counter.

"Farmers," replied Tinsley dryly, "and hobos. Not really any grade A hotties. Not everyone is all couple-y like you and Irvine and Squall and Rinoa, who by the way are out now and that's why Rinoa didn't come." Selphie rolled her eyes, Rinoa was always with Squall; they were like attached at the hip. It would be cute if she weren't so jealous of them.

Her and Irvine, weren't exactly always around each other, it wasn't his nature. But she knew that when she first started dating him. He was sort of lone-wolf man, and that was what Selphie liked about him, he was so mysterious and charming. But at times she did wish that he would just grow up already and stop being such a... boy.

"Well I'm sure that you will one day find a really nice good-looking farmers son who will sweep you off your feet and you can become all couple-y just like us," Selphie said. Tinsley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, okay. That'll happen," as she finished her sentence there was a knock on the door. Selphie looked at the door.

"Maybe that's him," she said mock-excitedly. The petit girl got off the counter and went to answer the door.

"Hi," said Irvine from the doorway. Selphie was a bit flustered; she didn't exactly look glamorous in grey sweat pants and a black t-shirt.

"Hey," she responded.

"I just came by to say I l-..."


	2. Obsession: A Case of the Head

It Started as A List

**It Started as A List**

**Chapter 2 – Obsession: A Case of the Head**

"Hi, I just came by to say I l-..." there he was, standing in her doorway, about to tell him those three words Selphie had been wanting to hear. There he was, Irvine Kinneas, about to tell her that he loved her. "I just came by to say I left my cell phone somewhere and I can't find it so if you see it can you give me a call... at home." Selphie's face dropped. She wasn't expecting that to be his reasons for coming over.

"Sure," she replied acting as if his words hadn't crushed her soul. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks babe," he said backing out of the room. He tipped his hat at Tinsley, "Nice to see you Tinsley."

"You too," she replied almost mechanically. Tinsley didn't always get along with Irvine, he wasn't what she thought was the perfect guy for Selphie. He was way too flirty with girls, and although she was sure he would never cheat on her, she thought that he could still treat her better.

Selphie pushed the door closed and let her arm go limp once it was closed. The brunette sighed and went over to Tinsley's bed and dropped herself onto her friends lap groaning loudly. Tinsley reached for a magazine and saw the clock on her bedside table. It was half past midnight.

"Think we should turn this girls night into a sleepover? It's really late, and Zell might get in trouble if he's caught wandering the girls' dorms at this time of night," said Tinsley as she put the magazine back on the table. Selphie groaned again, her face in the mattress. "I'll take that as a yes."

Zell emerged from the bathroom, "Hey I hung my shirt from your shower curtain so that it would dry. That's okay right?" Tinsley nodded.

"We've decided that you're staying over since it's very late and we don't think the halls of Balamb are safe for a hot piece of ass such as yourself." Zell nodded then pointed at Selphie.

"What's wrong with her?" Tinsley began to comb Selphie's hair with her fingers.

"Too much chicken," she responded as she patted her friend on the head, " So you can sleep in Selphie's bed, we'll sleep in mine."

"If you two get scared you can always, ask me to, you know, come sleep with you..." the blonde suggested with a grin. Selphie began to laugh whole heatedly with her face still in the mattress. "I'll take that as a no..."

* * *

The next day Selphie and Tinsley went to the gym for an early morning exercise. They had left Zell in their room, since when they tried to wake him he just rolled over and began to snore.

"Am I obsessing?" asked Selphie as she ran on the treadmill.

"Over what?" asked Tinsley from the machine beside her.

"Over Irvine," replied Selphie.

"I don't know."

"Well do you have an opinion?" asked the brunette a little agitated.

"I think this magazine has an article on this very subject," responded Tinsley.

"Read it to me."

"Okay. _Are you obsessing? Do you talk long hours about your bf to your bffs? Do you check your caller I.D. when someone calls and hope it's him? Do you know the middle names of all of his family members? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you could be obsessing way too much over your guy_," read Tinsley.

"Okay so what am I supposed to do?" asked Selphie.

"No interruptions," said Tinley before she continued, "_If you are in fact obsessed with your boyfriend you may need to ask yourself why. What is it that makes you think so much about him? Do you have insecurities that he fixes, or are you just scared of losing him? No matter the problem, the solution is to take some time and analyze you. The cause of this obsession is probably somewhere deep down and once you figure out why you're obsessing you can start fresh and have a truly healthy relationship._"

Tinsley flipped the page once she was done reading and continued to look through the magazine.

"So what does it mean?" asked Selphie.

"It means you're a head case Selph," responded Tinsley nonchalantly. Selphie scoffed and looked at her watch to check the time.

"Don't you have another training exercise today?" she asked Tinsley. Tinsley looked at the time and cursed under her breath. She quickly leapt from the treadmill, collected her things and ran from the gym to get to her exercise in time. Selphie turned of both her and Tinsley's machine and gathered her stuff before heading back to her room for a shower and list writing; she was going to solve this problem today.

* * *

When she got to her room she noticed that Zell was still in her bed. Selphie knew that he had a fighting class to substitute for today so she dropped her gym bag on the floor and began to shake her friend.

"Zell wake up, you've slept for like eleven hours! That can't be healthy! Come on you have a class today, get up!" with her last shove she sent Zell off the bead and she gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh! Zell I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The blonde man got up and rubbed his head, "Yeah I'm fine, that's not the first time I've fallen out of bed." Selphies eyes widened and she quickly turned from him.

"Zell! When did you take your underwear off!?" she exclaimed. Zell looked down and gasped, he quickly took the sheet from the bed and covered himself. "You are so washing those sheets Zell," said Selphie as she back toward the bathroom with her eyes still closed. "I'm going to shower so you can let yourself out. Have fun in class, try not to flash your students."

"Ha, ha," replied Zell as he scratched the back of his head. "When did my underwear come off? ...And where are they?"

* * *

Once Selphie was out of the shower she went over to her desk and got out a fresh sheet of bright yellow chocobo stationary and sat down, ready to write another list. She wrote down the title and underlined it neatly: Why am I obsessing? She made her first bullet point.

-Because he hasn't told me he loves me  
-I'm a head case  
-Because he is stubborn  
-Because I'm stubborn  
-Because I'm an organized person who needs things done write  
-Because I'm a head case  
-Because this list is a waste of time

Once again the list was a failure and Selphie crumpled the paper, tossed it into the garbage bin and sighed aloud. Her cell began to vibrate on her desk and she reached for it. She was about to look at the caller I.D. on the front, but then she stopped herself and simply flipped the phone open and placed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Selph it's Irvine. I found my cell so you can stop looking," said Irvine.

"That's good," replied Selphie as she began to tap her pen on the desk.

"And also I want to tell you I l-"


	3. Fuck My Life

**It Started as A List**

**Chapter 3 – Fuck My Life...**

"Hello?" said Selphie into her cell phone.

"Hey Selph it's Irvine. I found my cell so you can stop looking," said Irvine.

"That's good," replied Selphie as she began to tap her pen on the desk.

"And also I want to tell you I left my assignment in your room the other night. Remember? When I was doing homework in your room, because you're a lot better at magic spell incantations than me."

Selphie's jaw clenched and she ground her back teeth against one another, "Right," she responded, "I'll be sure to drop it at your room later."

"Sweet deal, bye Selph," said Irvine as he hung up.

"Bye," said Selphie to no one, since Irvine had already hung up. She closed her phone and tossed in on her bed, then dropped her head onto her desk and groaned.

"Fuck my life..."

* * *

Tinsley ran as fast as her legs could take her towards the front of the Garden. She was late for her training exercise.

"I'll never become an effin SeeD if I don't start coming to exercises on time," she thought to herself as she ran. Once she got outside her group had already started running laps around the stationary Garden, she cursed to herself and went over to her instructor who was going to be less than pleased that she was late again.

"Well, well, Ms. Carmichael, why is it that you are late once again to my exercise?" asked the burly man.

"Sorry Mr. Torrino, I was in the gym getting a quick workout. You know, running a bit on the treadmill-"

"Good, then you wont mind running 5 laps around the Garden, since you've already been warmed up," he said cutting her off. Tinsley dropped her things where everyone else had and began to run around the Garden.

Half an hour and 7 bruises later, Tinsley's training exercise took a break. She collapsed on the grass below her and sprawled out under the sun and closed her eyes. The feeling of the rays on her bare legs warmed her a bit too much, so she reached for her water bottle, however she ended up groping something moist and skin-like. The blonde got up and looked beside her, she had accidentally grabbed the arm of a guy from her class.

"Sorry about that. I was reaching for my water bottle," she explained.

"No prob," replied the man coolly. Tinsley looked at him closer. He had light brown hair, and his face was covered in white-rimmed aviator sunglasses. Luckily for Tinsley his body wasn't covered with a shirt and she took in the perfection of his toned chest, but she quickly looked away when she realized she didn't know if he was looking at her since he was wearing sunglasses.

"Are you new to this class?" she asked him.

"Yeah actually. I used to have it at 3:00pm, but it began to interfere with my tactics class, so I had to switch timeslots," he responded taking off his sunglass, revealing hazel eyes. Tinsley was about to speak again when Mr. Torrino hollered at the class.

"Alright girlies! Time for another run, this time I don't want you to stop running until I call time after 20 minutes! Keep those legs moving!" he sounded his whistle and the two got up.

"I'm James by the way," responded the guys with the glasses.

"I'm Tinsley," she replied as Mr. Torrino sounded his whistle from directly behind Tinsley making her flinch.

"Get moving Ms. Carmichael!" yelled the man. Tinsley nodded and began to run around the Garden once again. She ran as fast as she could even though her legs were bruised and she was more tired than she had ever been.

"Alright people, 15 more minutes!" yelled out Mr. Torrino. Tinsley groaned.

"Fuck my life..."

* * *

Quistis looked out her classroom window at the sunny scene outside. She was stuck teaching classes for another 3 hours, and she could hardly wait to get outside and let the sun hit her face. She had been so wrapped up with work lately that she was beginning to feel a little like Quasimodo being inside so much.

"Alright class, twenty more minutes for the test," she said to the quiet room of students. Quistis looked to the door and saw Xu standing in the doorway calling her over. She looked at the class once more to ensure no one was cheating and got up from her desk.

"Yes Xu?"

"Quistis, Cid has requested that you deal with a new student here. Well technically he's not new, but he is new, well it's confusing but you'll understand when you see him," replied Xu handing Quistis some papers.

"What are these?" she asked.

"They're his schedule and deadlines for work."

"But this can't be right," said Quistis, " These say that the new student is-"

"Well if it isn't the professor!" exclaimed a deep voice sarcastically, which interrupted Quistis. She looked over to see Seifer Almasy standing three feet from her.

"Quistis, this is the student Cid asked you to take care of," said Xu she said as she headed off to the elevator.

"But... wait," stammered Quistis.

"Sorry, I have other matters to deal with. Good luck!" responded Xu entering the elevator down the hall. Quistis turned to Seifer and looked at him her mouth agape.

"Just you and me, eh Professor!" said Seifer cockily. Quistis turned on her heel and re-entered her classroom.

"Fuck my life..."

* * *

Selphie was sitting with Tinsley at a table in the cafeteria. Selphie was eating her yogurt and Tinsley was mentally prepping her legs to work

"Go get something to eat," said Selphie as she took another spoonful of her yogurt.

"I will," replied Tinsley, "I just need to get ready for it. I have been running for like the last hour and a half." The blonde got up quickly and breathed in, then shook off her legs a bit before getting a tray and heading to the line up. Once she got there she saw James standing in line with a hamburger. She looked at her reflection in the metal tray she was holding and went over to him.

"Hey Tinsley," he said.

"Hey James," she responded as she picked up a fruit bowl and put it on her tray. There was a bit of a silence so she tried to start conversation. "A hamburger eh? You shouldn't eat beef, it's... bad for you." She mentally shot herself after the words escaped her mouth. He gave her an odd look and headed for his table.

"What? ...what did I just say?" she said quietly to herself.

"You told him beef was bad for you," answered the short red head beside her. Tinsley gave her a look, picked up her fruit bowl and left the line without paying.

"Fuck my word vomit... Fuck my life..."

Selphie watched as Tinsley walked back towards the table, but her view of her was blocked when Irvine sat down in the seat in front of her. "Hey gorgeous."

"Hey you," Selphie said.

"I have something really important to tell you," he teased.

"What is it?" asked Selphie, a smile creeping to her face.

"I l-"


	4. All Dressed Up

It Started As A List

**It Started As A List**

**Chapter 4 – All Dressed Up...**

Selphie watched as Tinsley walked back towards the table, but her view of her was blocked when Irvine sat down in the seat in front of her. "Hey gorgeous."

"Hey you," she said.

"I have something really important to tell you," he teased.

"What is it?" asked Selphie, a smile creeping to her face.

"I love my life!" exclaimed Irvine happily. "I just found out that next year I no longer will be just a student Instructor, I'm going to teach my very own marksmen class!" A semi-smile came to Selphie's face. She was happy for Irvine, she was, but at the same time, she was really getting annoyed with how long it took him to man up and take their relationship to the next level.

"Anyways," he started getting up from his seat, "I have to go and finish some paperwork, to finalize things, so I'll see you later." He leaned across the table, kissed Selphie on the forehead and proceeded to head out of the cafeteria. Tinsley sat down where Irvine once was, and saw the look on Selphie's face.

"What's up boo?" asked Tinsley. Selphie looked at Tinsley and noticed that she was slightly red, but she figured that she was still a little tired from her class.

"Nothing, Irvine's teaching a marksman class next year," she stated in a monotone.

"That's good news, and yet... the face," replied Tinsley gesturing to Selphie's glum visage. Selphie rolled her eyes, and threw her tray into the trash can beside the table. There was no way that Selphie could take anymore thinking of her and Irvine's stupid issues, she was going to get her mind off of this topic.

"Wanna go out tonight?"

XXXXX

The bell rang, and Quistis called time in her class. All the student got up and headed for the door leaving their finished test on her desk on their way out. Once everyone was gone she sighed aloud, and Quistis began to file the tests in her drawer for her to mark later. Quistis usually loved these brief brakes she got between classes, although they usually lasted about 3 minutes. But today she didn't like her break, since she wasn't spending it with herself, but instead when she looked up from her desk she saw Seifer Almasy sitting front row.

"So it's just, you and me eh Instructor," he said with a slight smirk. Quistis rolled her eyes.

"If you start classes tomorrow, why is it that you have to follow me around all the day? It's not like you don't know your way around here," she said as she got up and began putting tests facedown on the desks of the students.

Seifer got up and sat on Quistis' desk, "I guess it's because they know about the raw sexual chemistry between us." Quistis laughed at that one, her and Seifer? Sexual tension? More like murderous tension.

Quistis finished putting the papers on the desk as students started filling into the classroom. She sat down at her desk and watched as the students took their seats, and closed their bags. One student, a guy with shaggy black hair, walked up to Quistis and placed some papers on her desk.

"Good morning Quistis, thanks for giving me these study notes."

"You're welcome David, but you know that anyone could have got the notes, I think that you're just the only one who listens," she replied kindly. David smiled and took his seat in the front of the class. Seifer scoffed, and Quistis looked at him annoyed, "What is it now?"

"It's that guy, he's such a keener. He probably even has a little crush on the hot instructor," he stated turning to look at Quistis.

"Jealous?" she asked plainly. Seifer scoffed again and turned back around. Quistis gave herself an inward high-five. If she was going to spend the day with Seifer, she was going to have to think of some more snarky responses. Too bad, she couldn't do that very well.

XXXXXXX

Tinsley was straightening her hair when Selphie got out of their bathroom, her hair still wet from the shower. She walked to the closet and got out a black cocktail dress that came three inches above the knee and gold kitten heels. Tinsley let out a low whistle when she saw her friends outfit.

"Damn girl, you really want to attract the eye tonight," she said as she finished straightening her hair and began putting half of it up in the back. Selphie carefully put on the dress over top her underwear, making sure not to get it wet from her hair, and stopped before putting on her shoes when she saw Tinsley staring at her in the mirror.

"What?" she asked curiously. Tinsley finished her half-up do and turned to look at Selphie.

"Are you wearing a bra under that 'cause it's strapless and I don't see straps..." Selphie rolled her eyes.

"What am I a hooker, I'm not going to have some straps showing; I'm wearing this new strapless bra I bought from that shopping channel. This is the first time I've got a chance to wear it," Tinsley nodded slowly. The blonde girl got up from the chair she was sitting on and straightened out her silver sequined mini dress, picking imaginary fluff from the garment.

"So where are we going Selph?" asked Tinsley as she put on a pair of black stilettos. Selphie shrugged as she began to blow out her hair. "Like you have no idea what you wanna do?" she asked again. Selphie responded with a shrug and Tinsley groaned a little.

"Oh! Do you wanna like ride the train, just like around the town, and have everyone look at us like we're these hot people who were forced to take the train to our super secret party?" asked Selphie turning to look at her friend. Tinsley rolled her eyes, and took out her cell.

"No, but don't worry, I'll think of somewhere hot for us to go," she responded texting someone furiously. Selphie's phone began to vibrate and for a brief moment she thought that Tinsley was texting her something from right behind her. When she flipped open her cell phone she saw that she had received one message from Irvine, but the top read one of two.

'_hey babe so i was thinking that we should go out tomorrow to celebrate my good news! where do you wanna go? l' _Selphie looked at the last letter. Was that an 'I' was that and 'L'... was he writing love in a text message? She cursed the mobile gods and tossed her phone into her gold clutch.

"So where are we going tonight?"


	5. and Ended In A Dance Party

**It Started As A List...**

**Chapter 5 – It Started As A List... and Ended in a Dance Party**

"We're here!" exclaimed Tinsley as she spread her arms in a wide gesture. Selphie looked at the building in front of her. Tinsley was supposed to help Selphie get her mind off of Irvine, not bring her some abandoned warehouse.

"This is where you wanted to bring me? Are you planning on raping me and disposing of my body Tinsley?" the blonde girl rolled her eyes and took Selphie's delicate arm dragging her toward the back entrance.

"No silly, this is a club! You just can't tell because it's supposed to be in cognito!" Selphie didn't know exactly what her friend meant, but she also didn't care. Tonight she had one goal: get smashed and enjoy herself. The two girls came to the back entrance of the building and Selphie heard muffled music coming from the inside of the gray concrete structure. Tinsley walked proudly up to the front of the line and said something to the bouncer, he immediately moved the red rope and ushered the two girls inside, while the people waiting outside groaned impatiently.

Once inside Selphie realized that the building really was secret. On the outside it looked like some old factory, but the inside was decorated in lush red velvet walls and the bar was sleek and silver, with high-pressured pipes keeping the flow of alcohol constant. She let out a low whistle and then followed Tinsley to two open bar stools.

"So what do you think?" asked Tinsley crossing her legs smoothly. Selphie smiled at her friend and brushed a tendril of straight brown hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Well I will say this, you sure do know where to find the best parties, although you can't seem to be on time for anything." Tinsley made a hand gesture to the bartender and he put down two drinks in front of the girls.

"Design flaw. You win some you lose some," she replied easily turning her stool so that she could look out on the crowd. In the center of the room was a glass box that held the DJ, and around him were tens of people dancing to the music he played. Littered throughout the club were metal cages that held girls, some club goers some likely hired, dancing with all their energy. This no named club really knew how to mix classy and trashy.

"Care to dance?" came a voice from behind Selphie. She turned and came face to face with a tall black haired man who wore a tight blue v-neck t-shirt and black skinny jeans. He was clearly some hipster or wannabe model, and Selphie really didn't feel like dancing with him, but at the same time, she didn't want to be rude.

"Cock block!" said Tinsley loudly without even looking at the guy, and he slinked off muttering something under his breath. Selphie looked at her quizzically, "You need to know how to deal with these guys Selph. Some of them are really shady, and he was for sure one of them."

"And he was shady because..."

"Of his fancy shoes; no one wears those to a club unless they don't plan on spending long in them," finished Tinsley turning to Selphie and taking a sip from her drink.

"And screaming 'cock block'..."

"Is a defensive measure," she said taking another sip of her drink. Selphie nodded slowly, and noticed a girl walk by her with a yellow drink in a cool looking glass. She clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oooh! Can I get one of those?"

* * *

It was finally the end of her day, and as Quistis looked out one of the many small window of her classroom she sighed. The sun was just finishing it's decent from the sky and Quistis realized how late it was; in the summer the sun only set when it was around 7pm. She looked at the corner of the classroom and sighed once again because there in the room with her, was none other than Seifer Almasy waiting for her to finish marking her papers.

"All done Trepe?" he asked gruffly as he stood up from his seat, stretching a little.

"I'm done," she responded monotone. As he stretched his back his shirt lifted up and revealed toned abs, when she thought she saw him looking at her she blushed and looked at her paper. A smirk came to his thin lips and Quistis knew that he saw her looking at him. "Anyways," she started clearing her throat, "I don't know why you decided to sit around and wait for me. You could have left and, I don't know... explored..."

"Explored..." Seifer scoffed, "In case you forgot, I've already been here, I know where things are." Quistis rolled her eyes and picked up the papers from her desk and walked to the door. Seifer followed her and closed the door to the classroom behind him. "So Quistis, do you normally work this late?" asked Seifer as the two walked down the halls. A deep orange and red light came through the windows illuminating the halls of the Garden. Soon the sun would have set completely and the fluorescent lights would come on in the hallways.

"Normally? Yeah pretty much everyday is like this," she answered honestly. Seifer whistled in astonishment. "What? Can't picture yourself making an honest living working late hours?"

"No it's not that," he started, "It's just... how do you have time for a social life?" Quistis shuddered a little. 'How do you have time for a social life?' She didn't. But that wasn't a problem since she didn't really have one.

"I don't really... recently I've been staying in mostly," she responded as she pushed the button for the elevator to come. Seifer leaned against the cool metal doors.

"I guess I'll have to take you out some more to entertain you," he said kindly. Quistis looked up into his green blue eyes looking for a glint of sarcasm, but she found none.

"Is that so?" she asked as the elevator arrived.

"Yeah," he said entering the metal box, "We can spend the whole day together, maybe we can even shower together." Quistis mouth dropped, and she groaned. Of course he wasn't being kind, Seifer was just being regular old Seifer. He stood in the corner of the elevator, and after Quistis pushed the button for her floor she went and stood directly in front of him; so close in fact that her back was pressed against his chest.

"Sounds like a plan," she said in a low voice. She turned and looked at his face. He looked a mix of confused and excited. She slowly moved her face towards his, and when the elevator beeped signaling that her floor had arrived, Quistis turned quickly to leave. "But for you maybe it should be a cold one," she stated as she sashayed her way to her dorm room leaving a confused and angry Seifer alone in the elevator.

Quistis smiled inwardly at how seductive she had been. If she could keep this up she would have no problem dealing with the arrogant Seifer. The possibility that she enjoyed torturing Seifer like that too much did cross her mind, but when she thought about it more she decided it best to ignore it. At least for now...

* * *

One hour and twelve drinks later, Selphie sat drunk at the bar of the club that she had decided to call 'Funtimes Club' since there was no sign saying the real name of the area. She had a pen in her hand and was scrawling nicely on a bar napkin in front of her. It surprised her how nice she wrote when she was drunk.

Once again she found herself writing a list, the title of which was: Irvine. Below the underlined name were several points about the man, some she liked others she hated. She didn't know why exactly she was writing this list, but for some reason she found it fitting. Her purse vibrated and she took out her slim cell phone from the gold clutch; she had a new text message from Irvine that said two of two.

'_ets go get something nice to eat and maybe see movie',_ read the message. Selphie, in her drunken state of mind, didn't understand at first and then after three minutes of re-reading she realized it was the continuation of the previous message she received from Irvine.

'_hey babe so i was thinking that we should go out tomorrow to celebrate my good news! where do you wanna go? l__ets go get something nice to eat and maybe see movie' _was the final message, and Selphie groaned loudly. So loud that everyone at the bar looked over at her out of curiosity. Once again Irvine had a perfect opportunity to say that he loved her, and once again he did not. The brunette looked down at the napkin in front of her and read the words 'flaky', 'annoying' and 'purple'. She didn't really know why she wrote 'purple' but she did know what she wanted to do.

Selphie took her phone and began to dial a number. It rang twice and then someone picked up, without letting them answer Selphie started talking. "Irvine we need to break up."

"What?" asked Irvine clearly stunned.

"I have been waiting five months for you to tell me that you loved me! And nothing!" she said drunkenly.

"Selphie, you're drunk," said Irvine trying to calm the girl down.

"Yes," she answered, "yes I am drunk. I am drunk off of a drink I ordered called 'Dirty House Mother'. But that does not mean that I am joking, or wrong." Selphie heard her voice start to crack but pushed on. "I am sick of waiting Irvine."

"I'm sorry Selphie... I was just being stupid, I should have said it earlier I know, but I do Selphie. I do love you," he responded. Finally. After all those nights wondering, he finally told her he loved her, but Selphie didn't care. Now, hearing those words in an angry drunken conversation, Selphie just didn't care anymore. She was over it.

Her green eyes filled with hot tears and she scanned the club and found Tinsley dancing wildly in one of the cages with two other girls, surrounded by guys.

"I don't care Irvine," she said.

"But Selph-"

"Goodbye Irvine," she responded cutting him off.

With that Selphie closed her phone. Instantly a siren started to blare in the club and people began to cheer. She was pulled to the dance floor by a bunch of random club-goers.

"Dance party!" exclaimed what seemed like everyone in the club.

And as the people around her danced crazily, there, in the middle of the crowd, Selphie cried.


	6. Disco Hades

**It Started As A List**

**Chapter 6 – Disco Hades**

**Disclaimer: 'Disco Hades' is a song by Head Automatica.**

After the last 'dance party', Tinsley finally managed to escape the confines of the dancing cage she was in. It with the two other girls in the cage, but when another girl, one who was much less lean than the three already in the cage, attempted to dance along in the cage, things got a little... cramped. Her once half up hair was now totally tied in a ponytail and her bangs were bobby pinned back to stop them from sticking to her sweaty forehead. She scanned the room and looked for Selphie, but she couldn't find the girl anywhere. She got out her phone and began to dial the number but stopped when she realized that Selphie probably wouldn't even hear it ring. She began to look around the club for her friend but all she saw were people dancing, people she couldn't really recognize.

"Pretty lady dance!" exclaimed one man, who was very foreign, as he grabbed Tinsley's arm and began to spin her around wildly. Her head began to spin even more than her body and she realized that those drinks she ordered before were taking their full affect at this moment.

"Oh, you need to stop that," she yelled over the music, but the man continued his little dance with her. "Stop please!" she said once more but her did not oblige. Finally Tinsley felt her stomach tense up and her throat burn at the bottom and she yelled at the top of her lungs, "I'm GOING TO THROW UP!" With this the man let go and pointed the direction of the bathroom. She ran with her hand covering her mouth to the restroom but found a line-up at the door to the women's so she immediately ran into the mensroom. There were two guys peeing at the urinals who didn't seem to mind her entering the wrong bathroom. She pushed open the door to an empty stall and hurled all of her stomach contents into the porcelain bowl.

Tinsley groaned in pain before throwing up some more into the toilet. She took a deep breath and felt her stomach muscles releasing and the numb throbbing of her throat. It took all her energy to not collapse onto the dirty linoleum tiled floor and rest for a moment. She heard a groan from the stall beside her and, in her intoxicated state, didn't hesitate to look under the wall to see who was hooking up. Instead she found Selphie lying on the floor holding her shoes in her left hand, with her right arm draped over her arm. Tinsley stood slowly and walked into the stall Selphie was in.

"Hey Selph, are you alright?"

"I'm drunk!" she shouted. Tinsley nodded and took out her cell phone.

"I'm gonna call someone to pick us up; we're too drunk to stumble home like party whores. Do you think Irvine is still awake?"

"I wouldn't call him,"

"Why not?"

"I sort of broke up with him maybe two hours ago, when you were dancing in the cage," she replied sheepishly.

"I've been in the cage for two hours?" Tinsley exclaimed incredulous.

Selphie slowly sat up from the floor and leaned her back against the wall of the stall. Tinsley was sad that her friend had broken up with her boyfriend, but she was more upset at the fact that she still needed someone to pick them up from the club. She scrolled through her contacts list and dialed the last number on the list.

"Hello?" came Zell's groggy voice. Tinsley knew that Zell fell asleep around midnight and the time was nearly three in the morning, but she also knew that Zell was a pushover for a pretty girl, and although both her and Selphie were sweaty and smelled like puke and sweet alcohol, they were still hot in that slut kind of way.

"Hey Zell!" said Tinsley sweetly, "Sorry to wake you, but Selphie and I are at this club, and we're drunk in the stall and we kind of need you to pick us up."

"What?! Are you guys okay?"

"Oh you know apart from the puke and sweat, no we're good... we just really can't you know... stumble home in our current state. So if I text you the address will you come get us?" She heard rustling on the other end of the line; Zell was already up getting ready to go out.

"Yeah I'll be there soon, but how will I find you?"

"We're in the bathroom, second stall from the end."

"I can't go in the girl's bathroom!"

"Not a problem Zelly!" replied Tinsley, "We are in the men's bathroom!" Zell sighed and hung up the phone. Tinsley began to text the address of the club, and she was amazed at how well she could text while intoxicated; she should join a league.

* * *

About twenty minutes later Zell pulled up to an industrial looking building, and checked his phone to make sure it was the right address. It all checked out so Zell got out of the car and walked to the back of the building and saw a line for a door. He walked up to the bouncer, praying that he would let Zell into the club.

"Sorry man, it's a total sausage fest in there, only ladies are allowed in for a little while," said the bouncer motioning to the back of the line.

"I'm not here for the club, my friends are passed out in the bathroom and I need to get them," he replied coolly. The bouncer exhaled and let Zell through, clearly this must happen a lot at this place. It helped that Zell wasn't really dressed for clubbing since he was wearing an old Balamb Garden gym shirt and black sweatpants. He headed for the men's bathroom and found his two friends exactly where Tinsley had said they would be.

"ZELLY!" yelled Selphie excitedly, hurting even her own ears.

"It's me," he responded.

"Carry me Zell!" pleaded Selphie as she held her arms up for Zell to pick her up. Zell rolled his eyes and picked Selphie up like she was a princess whom he'd just saved from a dragon, a very drunken princess. Tinsley, not keen of walking, got on Zell's back and was holding on the both her and Selphie's shoes. Zell exited the bathroom and was greeted by guys saying, 'Yeah man!' and calling him a 'mad pimp!'. Selphie looked around the club quickly.

"I hate this place Zell," she said resting her head on his shoulder again, "It's like hell, but with disco music..."

"Why didn't you guys call Irvine?" asked Zell as they finally got to the car and Tinsley got down from his back.

"Selphie dumped him tonight," she explained as she got into the passenger seat. Zell carefully put the now passed out Selphie in the back seat before getting into the front and starting the car. Tinsley felt the familiar feeling of her stomach clenching when the engine started to whirl and shook her a bit.

"Zell..." she said rolling down the window, "Can you wait a second?" Zell looked to his right and saw Tinsley hang half her body out the window and throw up on the pavement below. He pulled a face and sighed deeply.

"Ew."


	7. Midnight Coward

**It Started As A List**

**Chapter 7 – Midnight Coward**

Quistis closed the door to her dorm behind her and went straight to her desk to begin grading tests. It was 11:13 when she looked at her clock as she started and she finished when the clock read 11:38. She sighed relief and inwardly commended herself of finishing grading so quickly; she was really improving. The blonde listened for a moment to the silence of the Garden. By now most were either in bed preparing for the day ahead or they were sneaking out to party and have fun. Not in all her 19 years of life had Quistis ever been the one to sneak out in the middle of the night and have a fun time with friends. She was always the one who would remind them how much of a bad idea it was and how doing so would end with them all getting in trouble.

She looked over at her made up bed, all ready for her to climb into and drift off in a deep sleep and then she looked out her window at all of Balamb. The city wasn't exactly a hot spot for incredible activity, but she was sure that somewhere out there someone was having a good time; and she was going to find them. Before she could rethink her decision, Quistis got up from her desk and replaced her instructors uniform with a pair of tight black jeans and a grey turtleneck sweater. Hardly the most party-friendly outfit, but things should be done in baby steps. Quistis got her keys, locked her door behind her and left the Garden.

Her heart was pounding in her throat, never had she been so bold and instinctive. This was a huge step for her, and the thought of it made her smile. The cold night air hit her and she hugged her arms to her chest to keep warm. Finding somewhere to go was key for her plan to work, so she went towards the centre of town where there were several bars that she assumed would be open until the early hours of the morning. Walking through town, she found that the only people on the street were a few homeless people, and some stray animals; not exactly the 'cool' crowd she was hoping for.

When she came across a bar with a glowing neon light that read 'open' in the window she entered, not really caring what the place could have been like since it was getting increasingly cold. The bar was more like a big room with tables on one side and stools on the other along with the actual bar. The walls were painted black and Quistis was surprised that she could still see some stains of unknown origin on them. She went over to the bar and sat on the stool she found had the least tears on the fake leather.

"What can I get for you pretty lady?" asked the barkeep, a man in his mid to late-20s, with a short facial hair and green eyes. He looked like a rose amid weeds, he was far to good looking to be working here, so Quistis assumed that his family must have owned the place.

"Just a water thanks," she replied. He nodded and moved down the bar to get her drink. He came back with a glass filled with a pink liquid. "Oh, I ordered a water," said Quistis assuming that he made a mistake.

"I think that you'll like this a little better," he responded with a wink before moving off to serve someone else. Quistis looked down at the drink, and tried to examine if it had been spiked with some sort of rape drug. Then she stopped herself. If she really was going to become more social she should probably just drink it. The bartender was obviously flirting with her and she didn't want to be rude so she put the glass to her lips and took a small sip. The drink was sweet and she couldn't taste any alcohol in it.

"Well, well. Looks like we have a rebel on our hands," came a familiar voice from behind her. Quistis rolled her eyes and looked to her right to find Seifer taking a seat on the stool beside her. "Look who exited the Garden past hours."

"Actually Seifer, I'm an instructor so I can leave the Garden whenever I want, since you're the student, you are the one who is out against the rules," she said taking another sip.

"I'll have a vodka on the rocks," he said to the bartender.

"He's underage," said Quistis with a smirk, "He's only nineteen." The drinking age in Balamb had recently been upped to 21 much to the dismay of the younger residents, but most places didn't even card you. Seifer groaned and changed his order to some chicken fingers.

"Thanks Trepe," he growled, "That was very childish you know."

"Says the guys who just ordered chicken fingers?" Seifer rolled his eyes and leant against the bar. He hadn't expected Quistis to be here, not after what had happened earlier in the elevator. He had been kind of a jerk to her before, but he got so nervous when he spoke to her for some reason; he felt like she was always judging his every action.

"So what brings the lovely instructor Trepe to this less than humble place of business?" he asked turning to look at her.

"I come here all the time," she lied. He scoffed, not for a second did he believe that she ever had come here before today. The bartender came back to them with Seifer's food.

"Is there anything I can get you ma'am?"

"No thank you. But thanks for the drink,"

"No problem. If you need anything just call me, my name's Rob," he said as he left to help someone again. Seifer scoffed again and began to eat his food.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"Nothing 'ma'am'," he said mockingly, "Rob fixed you a drink huh? You're practically married."

Quistis finished the sweet drink and slid the cup forward so that when Rob next came by he could take the empty glass. "What are you, jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" asked Seifer with chicken in his mouth.

"Well you're clearly upset that the bartender is flirting with me."

"Yeah okay," he answered swallowing his food. They were silent for a little while. "Did you think that maybe I just don't want you dating a bartender?" said Seifer breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Well, I mean you're better than that, you deserve better I mean." Quistis eyed him strangely.

"You're weird," she said finally. She took one of his chicken fingers and put it in her mouth.

"Hey!" Quistis smiled as she swallowed and mussed up his hair.

"Take me home after you're done eating Seifer. I'm not used to staying up past…" she read the clock on the wall, "12:15." She gave of a little chuckle and rested her head on the metal bar.

"Sure," he said looking at her blonde hair, "I'll take you home."


	8. I

**It Started As A List…**

**Chapter 8 – I…**

Selphie woke up with a start to the sound of a demon crushing the bones of children, or to someone who wasn't hung-over, a blender. She looked blearily through the dark room at Tinsley who was making a smoothie in the glass device.

"What are you doing?" Selphie tried to scream but found her voice hoarse and near useless. Tinsley switched off the blender and looked at her friend.

'What was that? I couldn't hear you…"

"Why are you doing that? It's so painful to the ears. Aren't you hung-over, we drank the same amount," said Selphie. The brunette got up slowly and then when her stomach started to protest she sat back down on her bed.

"Oh my body is, but I've learned that if you drink water while drinking you don't get that bad headache thing because you're so much less dehydrated." Tinsley poured the liquid into two glasses and brought one over to Selphie.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" she asked taking the drink from the other girls hands roughly.

"I did Selph," she replied, "But you said, 'I don't want water! I want booze!'" Selphie held her head and groaned. This was definitely the last time that any substance entered her body; of that she was sure.

"So… this is gonna sound really slutty, but what did I do last night?"

"Before or after you dumped Irvine?"

"After."

"You threw up, and lost a shoe, but that I guess was my fault."

"How so?" asked Selphie taking a sip of the drink.

"I threw it out of the window."

"…Oh…alright… Um by the way, what is this gross concoction?" asked the small girl handing the drink back to Tinsley.

"It's bananas and water, and some yogurt. It is pretty gross but if you drink three cups of this you will be fine for the rest of the day," replied Tinsley handing the drink back to her.

"I'll take the hangover thank you," Selphie got up and walked to her desk and her stomach once again protested, this time along with her head. "On second thought, maybe one cup won't hurt."

Just then her phone began ringing. She looked at her desk and through her purse, but she couldn't find it, then looked over at Tinsley, who simply shrugged. Selphie followed the noise of her phone all the way to the bathroom. There she found her phone in the sink with her stuffed dog.

"Why…" she muttered before answering the phone.

"Hey, It's Zell."

"Hi Zell. Thanks for driving us home yesterday, that was really nice of you. Sorry if I threw up in your car."

"No worries, it was Squall's car. Anyways, I'm just calling to let you know that I have something of yours in my car…"

"Oh what is it?" she asked walking out of her bathroom.

"Um… it's kinda awkward, but I have your… your panties," he answered sheepishly.

"I went home without panties?!"

* * *

Selphie walked down the hallways of Balamb Garden toward the boys' dorms with a pair of oversized sunglasses on her face. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore black yoga pants and a yellow t-shirt with a chocobo on it. With another of Tinsley's smoothies in her mug she hoped to go unnoticed, since she really didn't want people to know she was hung over, or for the light to hurt her anymore. She came to Zell's dorm and knocked twice quickly and a few moments later he emerged from the room in his boxers.

"How are you not dressed Zell? You're not even the one who's hung-over," she said as she entered the room.

"Well excuse me, I sort of had a late night," he replied scratching the back of his head. Selphie smiled and sat down on his bed.

"Thanks again for that Zell. Trust me it will never happen again, last night was just… it was terrible. My head will never forgive me," she said as she took off her sunglasses. Her eyes drifted through the room and looked at the clock he had beside his bed. "Holy crap is that the time?! I have a meeting right now with Cid about the Garden Committee!" Selphie stood quickly and went for the door. "I'll call you after!"

Selphie ran out of Zell's room and immediately bumped into someone. She looked up and was sad to see Irvine's face looking at her. His face was gloomy and questioning, and he looked at Selphie then back at the room she just ran out from.

"Selphie, what is going on? What happened you call me and break up with me and then you run out of a boys dorm room?" he asked a little anger coming to his voice.

"No Irvine, it's really not what you think," she pleaded putting her sunglasses back on. It was really bright in the hallway. At that moment Zell burst out of his room with Selphie's undergarments in hand.

"Wait Selph you forgot your…" he took one look at Irvine and immediately went back into his room. Selphie looked up at Irvine's face, which was now turning red with rage.

"Selphie?" he more demanded than asked. She opened her mouth then closed it again when no word would come.

"I…" Selphie started. Without warning Selphie ran in the opposite direction from Irvine. She really couldn't handle this now, especially after the series of events that just played out. She decided she would talk to Irvine later today and explain, right after her meeting with Cid.

* * *

Tinsley got up and went to answer the knocking at her door.

"I'm coming, keep your panties on!" she hollered through the door. When she opened the door her eyes went wide. "Steve?"

"Hello Tinsley," said the man in her doorway, "Would you mind telling me why my girlfriend of six months just up and leaves and never calls me?" Tinsley's mouth dropped open.

"I…" Tinsley shut the door without another thought, and locked it immediately. Tinsley flopped down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. ""Fuck that. I am way too hung over to deal with this shit."


End file.
